View full sizeChrist McNeil, left, faces a challenge from Mobile County Republican Chairwoman Terry Lathan, right, based on his residency. The state Republican candidate committee will decide on Friday, May 2, 2014, can run for the state House of Representatives in District 102.

Chris McNeil, a businessman who hopes to run for state representative in District 102 in northern and western Mobile County, faces a challenge based on residency. His house is on the south side of Howells Ferry Road, which is the dividing line between Districts 102 and 101.

McNeil has argued that his candidacy is legal because his property extends 1 inch into District 102.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead said the 21-member candidate committee will consider the challenge Friday at noon in Birmingham. The committee will hear from Mobile County Republican Chairwoman Terry Lathan, who made the challenge, and from McNeil.

View full sizeThis map indicates that Chris McNeil, a Republican candidate for Alabama House of Representatives District 102, lives on the south side of Howells Ferry Road, placing him in District 101. McNeil contends that 1 inch of his property lies within District 101.

Armistead said the committee then will vote immediately.

If the committee decides against McNeil, it will put the party in a tricky position. It is too late to change the ballot before the June 3 primary, which means that McNeil’s name will appear regardless of what the party decides.

Armistead said the party could declare McNeil ineligible if he were to win. But he said he is unsure if the party simply would go with the second-place finisher or require a separate vote. He also said he does not know if the party would require a runoff if one of the other two candidates wins but does not get a majority of the votes.

Armistead said he hopes it would not come to that and that voters would be aware of McNeil’s status.

“If that happens, we’re going to publicize that as best we can,” he said.

The other two candidates in the race, nursery farmer Jack Williams and constable Anthony Clarkbanks, have said little about the controversy. The current representative, Republican Chad Fincher, recently took a job as executive director of the Mobile Area Association of Realtors and has chosen not to run for re-election.